Ink fountain



Dec. 10, 1940.

c. s. CRAFTS INK FOUNTAIN Filed Dec. 21. 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Dgc. 10, 1940.

C. S. CRAP-T5 Filed Dec. 21, 1938 INK FOUNTAIN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9:? BY y ATTORNEYS X Patented Dec. 10, 1940 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 2,224,217 INK FOUNTAIN Curtis s. Crafts, oak Park, 111., assignor to The Goss Printing Press Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 21, 1938, Serial No. 246,947

12 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in rotary printing presses, and more especially to such improvements in ink fountain sealing devices for rotogravure presses using be learned from practice with the invention, closure or sealing plates are provided of relatively stiff, resilient metal,'which are flexed over curved supports mounted on the fountain side walls at quick drying inks; I either end of the design cylinder, the resilient Objects and advantages of the invention will plates being fastened in this curved or flexed pobe set forth in part hereinafter and in part will sition overlapping the ends of the top part of the be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by praccylinder, and cooperating with other parts of the tice with the invention, the same being realized fountain to constitute a substantially sealed and attained by means of the instrumentalities' fountain. When one end of the plates is re- 10 and combinations pointed out in the appended leased, they will spring upwardly away from the claims. cylinder and fountain walls, and remain there, The invention consists in the novel parts, conthus providing unobstructed space for removal structions, arrangements, combinations and imand ,reinsertion of the design cylinder without provements herein shown and described. danger of marring the design bearing surface; 15

The accompanying drawings, referred to hereand the fastening and unfastening of these ends in and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one of the plates is effected by one simple movement embodiment of the invention, and together with The curved supports for the sealing plates at one the description, serve to explain the principles end abut on the backingblade for the doctor i of the invention. blade and hold the backing blade out of fricg0 Of the drawings: 1 tional engagement with the doctor blade in the "Fig. 1 is a fragmentary end elevation of a rospaces at the ends of the cylinder, and also pretary intaglio printing couple and showing an emvent lateral displacement or flexure of the docbocliment of my invention; tor blade, while maintaining the closure or seal. FigLZ is a fragmentary transverse section on It will be understood that the foregoing general 25 line 2-2 of Fig. 1; i description, and the following detail description Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse section takas well, are exemplary and explanatory but not en on line 33 of Fig. 1; restrictive of the invention. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail plan view of the Referring nOW in detail to the embodiment of hand-operated fastening device for the sealing the invention illustrated by Way of eXa ple in 30 plate shown at the left in Fig. 1; and the accompanying drawings, the invention is Figure l 5 is a fragmentary, detailed plan of Shown app t0 3 rotogravure Dress having parts cooperating with the fastening device of ins m ns a p d o use q y nk an Fig. 4. equipped with a closed or sealed fountain. As 5 Objects of the invention are to provide novel mb a i y r l a impression cy and useful closure or sealing devices 'as part of indel 2 constitute a usual l u e p nting closed or sealed ink fountains, and to provide p The design cylinder is y a ly ensuch devices well and specially adapted to close Closed Within a fountain Structure having de or seal the top part ofthe fountain closure at Walls 3 a f 4, about and Spaced p t from the 40 either end of the design cylinder and overlapping deslgn cyhnder' having end walls 5 and 6 spaced 40 the top curved portion of the cylinder, and about apart from the ends f the cylinder l and a and in cooperation with the vibrating doctor tom The ink supplying means is not Shown blade; to throw such closure or sealing devices of and may be of any Suitable form- This Structure strong and simple construction, which are quickis Shown fragmentamy in F 1 with the (Him ly and easily placed and' fastened in closing potral f Omitted- Near the top edge of the Side 45 sition and removed or released therefrom, and n 4 15 mounted a doctor blade mechanism are provided with simple, adequate and easily which carries the flexible doctor blade 12, the operated iastening s; t provideI such blade l2 being flexed in the usual manner by a vices whichwhen unfastened will automatically Clamping ba The doctor blade is longimove aside, and of themselves remain out of tu1ina11y reciplflcable On its Supporting c 50 the way, to permit free and unobstructed removal 111215111111 2 1151131 manner d the pp is 00 and reinsertion of a design cylinder; *to provide structed so as to join the wall 4 to form part of maximum practical sealing about the vibrating the closure about the design cylinder l. Coopdoctor blade, and to obviate friction between crating with the doctor blade I2 is a stationary the vibrating doctor andthe closure or sealing backing plate l6, which rests against and sup- 65 d v s, nd o to av y d pla em nt or ports the back face of the doctor blade in a disturbance of the doctor blade, or of its moveknown manner, the doctor blade reciprocating on ment, such astransverse flexur. the backing blade. The fountain side wall' 3 has With these objects in view, together with other its topedge brought into close contact with the objects which are later herein set forth, or will design cylinder on the. side beyond the impression 60 locus, and forms a substantial closure above the ink supplying means located within the fountain. It is desirable also to provide closure or sealing means for the top of the fountain at either end 5 of the design cylinder and such closure or sealing means are provided by the present invention.

As illustratively embodied, resilient closure plates 25 at either end of the cylinder fill the space between the fountain end walls and the cylinder and overlap and flt. closely the upper part of the cylinder ends. In this preferred form, a support for the closure plates is provided at either end of the design cylinder il, these supports I9 having parti-cylindrical supporting members 20, and these parts 23 have their upper surfaces of the same curvature and in alinement with the top part of the cylinder, and areadapted to support the flex sealing plates on the same radius curve as the design cylinder I. These cylindrical supporting members are integral with flat arcuate side members 2|, the flat outersides of which abut on the inside of the respective end walls 5 and 6 of the fountain and are fastened thereto by screw bolts 22. These plate supports 20, 2| extend approximately from the doctor blade to the opposite side wall 3 of the fountain. The closure or sealing plates 25 are of strongly resilient metal, such as steel, and preferably are sufficiently wide to extend from the fountain side wall to overlap the adjacent end of the design cylinder to a desired amount, and are of a length sufficient to extend from near the doctor blade to the top edgeof the side wall 3 f the fountain. At their ends toward the doctor blade, the closure plates 25' are fastened to the support 20 by suitable means such as clamping blocks 26 and screws 21 passing through the clamping block and the plate 25 and screw threaded into the supporting member 20.

At their opposite ends, that is, the ends adjacent the wall 3, the plates 25 are fastened to their supports 20 by devices which are quickly and easily operated to eitherfasten or release 45 the plates. As embodied, (Figs. 1 and 4), openings 2? are formed in plate 25, and these openings are adapted to pass over detent pins30 which are fastened into and project upwardly from the supports 20. The pins 30 have an undercut side notch 3|, and cooperating therewith is a T-shaped slide 33, slidably mounted on top of the plate 25 by pin and slot connections 34. The slide 33 has two arms or locking edges 35 and 36, adapted to pass into and out of engagement with the undercut notches 3i, and the slide is preferably provided with a manual pull 31. Thus the plate 25 which is fastened at 21 may be bent over and about its support .20 until the apertures 29 pass over the pins 39 while the detent plate 33 is being drawn back to the position shown in Fig. 4, and thereafter the detent plate 33 is pushed forwardly until the locking edges 35 and 36 engage in the notches 3|, as shown in Fig. 1, and the plates 25 are supports 20 with their inner portions conforming to and bearing on the surface of the cylinder I. The sealing plates 25 may be readily held in curved closing or sealing position on the and the design cylinder may be removed from the fountain and the same or another cylinder inserted without danger of injuring the design surface by contact with the closure plates.

Means are provided for avoiding friction and wear between the reciprocating doctor blade l2 and the backing plate 16, and for'preventing are engaged on the. outer side thereof by the ends 4| of the supports 20, which ends are beveled to fit closely against the surface of the blade I6. The supports are angularly movable to vary and regulate the pressure on the backing blade l6, and for this purpose the bolts 7 22 pass through elongated slots 42 in the flat arcuate flanges 2|, thereby permitting angular movement of the supports and nice regulation of the pressure or flexing action on the backing blade I 6, and positioning these parts of the blade l6 relatively to the reciprocating doctor blade l2, so as to prevent undue friction between them. and also so as to prevent flexure or displacement of the doctor blade by the backing blade H5. The ends of the plates 25 abut closely on the broadened ends of the blade l6 and make a tight closure at either end of the path of the vibrating doctor blade.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing fromthe principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

'What I claim as:

1. In a rotary printing press, in combination a printing couple having an impression cylinder and a design cylinder, an ink fountain enclosing the design cylinder, including closure means at the ends of the design cylinder comprising supports at either end of the cylinder and curved substantially the same as the cylinder, resilient plates attached to and flexed over said curved supports and overlapping the curved ends of the design cylinder, and means for fastening and unfastening one end of the plates to hold them in said flexed position, the plates when released from said fastening means springing to and remaining in elevated position to provide free egress and ingress for the design cylinder.

2. In a, rotary printing press, in combination a printing couple having an impression cylinder and a design cylinder, an ink fountain enclosing the design cylinder, including closure means at the ends of the design cylinder comprising supports at either end of the cylinder and curved substantially the same as the cylinder, resilient plates attached to and flexed over said curved supports and overlapping the curved ends of-the design cylinder, and means for fastening and unfastening one end of the plates to hold them in said flexed position, the plates when released from said fastening means springing to and remaining in elevated position to provide free egress and ingress for the design cylinder, said means comprising a manually-operated latch and detent.

design cylinder, and means for fastening said strips at one end-and for readilyfastening and unfastening the platesrat the" othergfend, the

plates when released at said end, .springing to and remaining in elevated position; to provide free egress and ingress for the design cylinder. 4. In a rotary printingpresadn combination a printing couple having an impression cylinder and a design cylinder, a doctor blade cooperating with the design cylinder, an ink fountain enclosing the design cylinder, including closure means at the ends of the designcyiinder comprising resilient plates extendinginwardlyfrom the fountain walls and overlapping the curved endsof the design cylinder, and means for fastening said plates at one of their ends close to the doctor blade, and means for releasably fastening the opposite ends of said plates, the plates when released springing upwardly and remaining up to provide free egress and ingress for the design cylinder.

5. In a rotary printing press, in combination a printing couple having an impression cylinder and a design cylinder, an ink fountain having side and end walls around the design-cylinder,

inder and supDOrting structure for-the doctor blade constituting a part of the cylinder closure, closure means at the ends of the design cylinder comprising resilient plates, extending inwardly from the fountain walls-and overlapping cylinder, meansv the curved ends of the design fastening said plates at one ofv their ends close to the doctor blade, and means for releasably fastening theopposite ends of said plates contiguous to a side wall of the fountain, the plates when said end is released springing upwardly and remaining up. to provide free egress and ingress for the design cylinder. 6. In a rotary printing press, in combination a printing couple having an impression cylinder and a design cylinder, an inkfountain enclosing the design cylinder, including closure means at the ends of the design cylinder comprising resilient plates extending inwardly from the 65 fountain walls and overlapping the curved ends of the design cylinder, and means near either end of the flexed plates for fastening them in .said curved. positiornthe fastening means at one end of the plates being releasable to permit 60 the plates to spring upwardly and remain up to provide free egress and ingress for the design cylinder.

7. In a rotary printing press, in combination a printing couple having an impression cylinder 65 and a design cylinder, an ink fountain having side and end walls around the design cylinder, and closure means at the ends of the design cylinder comprising resilient plates extending inwardly from the end walls of the fountain and 9 overlapping the curved ends of the design cylinder, means fastening said plate at one of their ends adjacent to one side wall of the'fountain, and means for releasably fastening the opposite ends of said plates contiguous to a side wall 01' supports and overlapping the, curved ends of the.-

a doctor blade cooperating with the design cyl the fountain, the plates when released springing upwardly and remaining up to provide free egress and ingress for the design cylinder.

8. In. a rotary printing press having a design cylinder and inking means therefor,closure means at either end of the design cylinder comprising supports having curved surfaces the same radius as the design cylinder and in alinemcnt with the top portion of the cylinder, and resilient closure plates at either end of the design cylinder, said closure plates being supported on the curved supports and overlapping the curved end of the ,design cylinder, and being fastened at either end to said'supports, the fastening means at one end of the plates being releasable to permit the plates to spring upwardly and remain up to provide free egress and ingress for the design cylinder. i

9. In a rotary intaglio printing press having a design cylinder and inking means comprising walls around said cylinder, closure means between the ends of thedesign cylinder and the fountain walls comprising resilient plates extending from adjacent fountain walls toward the ends of the cyli'nderand with their ends adjacent the other fountain walls, and means for curving said plates to overlap the adjacent ends of the design cylinder, one end of said plates being releasable to permit the plate to spring upwardly and remain up to provide free egress and ingress for the design cylinder.

10. In a rotary printing presshaving a design cylinder, and inking means, comprising a fountain having side walls and end walls around said cylinder, a closure device between the fountain end wall and the upper part of the end of the design cylinder, comprising a rigid arcuate support mounted on the fountain end wall at the end of said cylinder, a flexible plate supported on said support and fixed thereto near one end, said plate overlapping the upper part of the end of the design cylinder, and a holding and alining device mounted in fixed position on said support and a cooperating device mounted in said plate.

11. In a rotary printing press having a design cylinder and inking means, comprising a fountain having side walls and end walls around said cylinder, a closure device between the fountain end wall and the upper part of the end of the design cylinder, comprising a rigid arcuate support mounted on the fountain end wall at the end of said cylinder, a flexible plate supported on said support and fixed thereto near one end, said plate overlapping the upper part of the end of the design cylinder, and holding and alining means comprising a pin fixed to and projecting from said support, there being an aperture in said plate adapted to be passed over said pin.=

12. In a rotary printing press having a design cylinder and inking means, comprising a fountain having side walls and end walls around said cylinder, a closure device between the fountain end wall and the upper part of the end of the design cylinder, comprising a rigid arcuate support mounted on the fountain end wallat the end of said cylinder, afiexible plate supported on said support and fixed thereto near one end, said plate overlapping the upper part of the end of the design cylinder, and holding andalining means comprising a pin fixed to and projecting from said support, there being an aperture in said plate adapted to be passed over said pin and devices for locking the plate to the pin.

CURTIS S. CRAFTS. 

